Chapter 255
Chapter 255
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: Blackmail (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremy Dram.
One of the Weaponmaster's prized disciples, he clutched his stomach and vomited blood.
“Urk! Bluuuugh!”
No, it was more like gushing out. That single blow had ruptured all his internals.
“Demian Haksen…… you bastard……!”
He couldn’t see it.
Demian Haksen’s movements were completely invisible. Neither closing the distance, nor extending his leg, nor even the impact to his abdomen.
All Jeremy Dram registered was the shock to his gut.
“Kill…… I’ll kill you……”
Jeremy Dram tried to rise. But his legs wouldn’t support him properly. His body swayed.
Jeremy Dram’s pupils shook wildly.
He was a prized disciple of the Weaponmaster. A powerhouse comparable to any great villain.
Even if Demian Haksen had killed Sla, to be rendered combat-ineffective in a single strike?
“There’s no way…… no way the gap is this wide……”
“You can’t even stand.”
Demian Haksen’s voice rang in Jeremy Dram’s ears.
“To think trash like you dared speak of my family with that pathetic skill? It’s so ridiculous it’s making my blood boil.”
At Demian’s mockery, Jeremy Dram ground his teeth.
Pathetic? Me? I, who learned swordsmanship directly from the Weaponmaster and received a demonic sword as a gift?
“Insulting me…… is the same as insulting my master…… even if you were invited by him…… there’s a limit to how much I’ll tolerate!”
Jeremy Dram clenched his teeth and forced his body up. But his legs still trembled.
He seized the greatsword strapped to his back.
-Hmm?
The moment he gripped it, a voice sounded. A neutral tone blending male and female halfway.
-Slept so well, why wake me.
“Shut up and get up. We fight now.”
-What’s this all of a sudden? Huh? That’s Demian Haksen. Didn’t the Weaponmaster say to bring him?
The demonic sword said worriedly. Jeremy Dram snapped in anger.
“Shut up and heal my body! I’m killing that bastard right here!”
-Ugh, why get mad though.
Black mana from the demonic sword flowed up Jeremy Dram’s arm. His complexion recovered in an instant.
“Phew, now I feel alive.”
Jeremy Dram rolled his neck side to side as he spoke. As he said, his pale face had regained its original color.
“You bastard…… I’ll make you regret those words.”
-You’re really gonna fight Demian Haksen? What about the Weaponmaster’s orders?
The demonic sword said in a reluctant tone.
-And Demian Haksen killed Sla. How do you beat that monster?
“Can’t you shut up?”
He had felt the bone-deep gap between Demian Haksen and himself from that exchange earlier.
But he couldn’t just tuck tail obediently. That punk had dared insult his master.
“You just follow my orders quietly. I won’t be satisfied until I rip off at least one of that bastard’s arms.”
-Sigh.
Jeremy Dram lifted the greatsword with both hands. Immense black mana erupted from the demonic sword.
The moment it touched the black mana, the surrounding bushes and trees withered. That showed the density of the black mana.
At the same time, changes occurred in Jeremy Dram’s body.
Part of the demonic sword melted and flowed into Jeremy Dram.
Jeremy Dram’s skin turned gray. His aura grew even more ferocious.
Synchronization.
A technique raising black mana and physical abilities by integrating the demonic sword with the body.
“The worm is struggling.”
Demian Haksen drew the sword from his waist.
The instant the blade emerged, Jeremy Dram’s gaze was stolen.
As a disciple of the Weaponmaster, he recognized it immediately. The sword Demian Haksen held was no ordinary one.
“That…… what the hell is that sword……?”
Instead of answering, Demian gripped his sword. Sharp killing intent flew forth.
“You unlucky bastard. You won’t tell me?”
Jeremy raised the demonic sword similarly. The massive greatsword thrust high toward the sky.
“One piece of advice. Put that sword away. Unless you want to cry blood.”
The demonic sword bestowed upon Jeremy by the Weaponmaster was named Gullonta.
Gullonta possessed authority over weakening.
No matter the object, mere contact with Gullonta destroyed its molecular structure.
Rocks turned to sandcastles, wood to sawdust clumps, iron to lumps of clay.
Whatever sword Demian Haksen had drawn, it wouldn’t survive touching Gullonta.
“No answer? Guess you won’t heed my advice! Fine then!”
Jeremy kicked off the ground. Demian charged similarly. The demonic sword and holy sword clashed in midair.
The two stood locked, weapons pressed.
Jeremy Dram shouted toward Demian Haksen behind the blades.
“Ha! That all you got? Thought you’d be something since you killed Sla. What a letdown!”
Jeremy twisted his lips as he spoke. Then Demian Haksen opened his mouth.
“Softer than expected.”
Demian put strength into both hands. The next moment, the holy sword dug into the demonic sword’s blade.
“……Huh?”
Like a sharp knife slicing hardened cheese. The demonic sword resisted only at first, then cut away easily.
“W-Wait……”
The next instant, the demonic sword was cleaved in half.
* * *
-……Huh?
The demonic sword’s reaction came a beat late.
The bisected blade fell to the ground. Black smoke began billowing from the cut surface.
-Ah……?
Only then did the demonic sword realize what happened to it.
-Aaack! Uwaaaack! Aaaaaack!
The demonic sword screamed. A piercing shriek that could tear eardrums shook the world.
“G-Gullonta!”
Jeremy cried out in panic.
“W-What…… th-this can’t be……! G-Gullonta……! So helplessly……! What the……!”
While Jeremy was lost in shock, Demian swung Dawn.
Dawn severed Jeremy’s forearm. His forearm flew off still gripping the demonic sword.
Jeremy clutched the severed stump and screamed.
“My arm! My arm! You crazy bastard! What the hell!”
Demian swung Dawn again, cleaving off Jeremy’s other forearm.
“Kuaaaack! Aaaack!”
Jeremy screamed. Only then did terror appear on his face.
“Hic…… hiiic!”
Jeremy tried to flee from Demian. But before he could take a step, his body tilted.
Jeremy collapsed powerlessly. He urgently looked back.
Only then did he realize. Both his knees had been sliced off.
“A-Ah…… Aaaack!”
“Shut up.”
Demian stomped on Jeremy’s face. Jeremy’s face smashed into the dirt.
“Leave you like this, and you’ll bleed out soon.”
Demian activated Envy’s authority. He imbued his mana with fire properties.
Dawn heated up immediately. Demian pressed it to the wounds.
“Kuaaaack! Aaaack! Uwaaaack!”
Jeremy frothed at the mouth, body shuddering. But Demian didn’t blink, continuing the work.
“You…… you demonic bastard…… why…… why do this to me……”
Jeremy pleaded. Demian answered by swinging Dawn across his abdomen.
“Gah!”
“Why? You ask why now? You started the threats, yet that bullshit spews from your mouth.”
Demian’s voice was utterly cold. But his eyes boiled like lava.
“That’s why I hate you lot. Vermin casually poking at others’ weaknesses.”
Demian raised Dawn. At the motion, Jeremy yelled desperately.
“W-We have to contact Master periodically! No contact, and he’ll know I’m dead right away! Then not just you, your family’s in danger too!”
Demian Haksen’s hand paused. At that, Jeremy sighed in relief.
“L-Let me live and go, and I won’t touch your family! Hey, promise!”
Suddenly, Demian started laughing. Jeremy asked uneasily.
“W-Why are you laughing……”
“You never learn your place.”
Demian brought Dawn close to Jeremy’s neck. He grabbed Jeremy’s hair.
Demian yanked the hair. The neck pressed against the blade.
The harder Demian pulled, the deeper the blade sank. Blood spurted from the wound.
“K-Kuaaaack!”
Jeremy screamed. But Demian didn’t stop.
“M-My words aren’t lies! If I die, Master really will……”
Demian put more force into his arm. Jeremy’s head severed completely.
“That’s not for vermin like you to worry about.”
Demian coldly tossed Jeremy’s head to the ground.
Moments later, pale smoke rose from Jeremy’s corpse.
-Grroooo…….
Jeremy’s soul couldn’t escape death’s shock.
Demian immediately activated Envy’s authority, converting mana to black mana.
He used black mana to seize Jeremy’s soul.
“Obey me.”
Black mana invaded Jeremy’s soul. Jeremy resisted, but it was futile.
-Kuaaaack! Aaaack!
Demian inflicted pain directly on the soul, and Jeremy submitted quickly.
Demian shoved the soul into the corpse. He invoked necromantic black magic.
“Rise.”
The headless corpse rose.
It groped the ground. Found the head and placed it on its neck. Black mana connected neck and head.
“You said if you die, the Weaponmaster notices? Then just pretend you’re alive.”
Demian didn’t like using black magic on people.
But if the target was trash worse than human scum, it was different.
-Hun…… gry……
Then, a voice reached Demian’s ear.
Magic armor Hemera craved the destroyed demonic sword’s remains.
“Eat your fill.”
Hemera, nestled in Demian’s clothes, burst out.
Taking a slime-like form, it chomped the demonic sword fragments.
Demian looked up. Demonic power from the demonic sword swirled in the air.
Demian extended his hand’s back toward it. The power absorbed into the pattern there.
“Soon I can awaken another authority.”
Demian thought, gazing at the pattern.
“Uh…… uhhh……”
The undead Jeremy spoke to Demian.
“I…… obey…… you…… no…… obey Master…… obey Master……”
Undead Jeremy’s speech was still slurred. But no big issue. Soon he’d act just like in life.
That didn’t mean Jeremy lived. Reviving the dead was impossible.
Demian had merely resurrected the corpse as undead and inserted the soul.
That’s how he’d fool the Weaponmaster.
“Master…… uh, what to call you…… Demian? Lord Demian Haksen?”
“No, don’t call me that name.”
“Uh? Then what?”
He’d pondered deeply while at the church.
Demian’s goal was killing the Weaponmaster to scatter Pandemonium’s attention and forces.
That way, Pandemonium wouldn’t spare thought for his family.
But simply killing the Weaponmaster felt insufficient. Pandemonium needed a greater shock.
So Demian revised the plan slightly.
“Victor.”
Demian opened his subspace. He pulled out a wooden mask and donned it.
The mask used when impersonating Victor at the Starlight Jellyfish Festival before.
“From today, I am Woodcutter Victor.”
The unidentified black mage Woodcutter Victor topples one of Pandemonium’s pillars, the Weaponmaster.
That was Demian’s revised new plan.